Annunciator.



No 811,063. PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906.

W. R. HORNING. ANNUNC'IATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.5,1904.

l V/TNESSES:

A 710 RNE VJ [JV VENT 0R TNITED STATES i grnnr OFFICE.

WALTER R. HORNING, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WILLIAMS TELEPHONE & SUPPLY COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A OORPORA- TION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ANNUNCIATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 1906.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER R. HORNING, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Annunciators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates, broadly, to annunciators, and more especially to such as are used with bells-as, for instance, extension-bells for telephones, switchboards, and the likeand has for its object the construction of a device of this character that shall be simple and economical in construction and positive and effective in operation.

Generally speaking, the invention may be defined as consisting of the combinations of elements embodied in the claims hereto annexed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of my device as applied to the ordinary double call-bell of a tele-- phone. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of said device; and Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of a telephone-switchboard, showing the manner in which my invention may be applied thereto, the side of the casing being broken away to show one of the ringers for the bells.

In the use of bells for indicating purposes. it is difficult and in some cases impossible to distinguish the bell which has been rung by the tone of the bell alone. In a switchboard employing bells as signals it is impracticable to furnish a large number of bells differing sufficientl in tone to enable the operator to distinguis by the ear alone just what subscriber or station has been calling. I11 the case of two or more telephones in the same oflice it ma frequently happen that the tones of the bell; of said telephones are sufficiently similar to make it difficult to distinguish which of the telephone-bells has been rung by central.

My invention has for its object the prevention of this difficulty in distinguishing between the bells by employing therewith simple and effective indicating devices which will 5 0 be operated the ringing of the bells to indicate clearly the particular bell which has been rung.

Describing the parts by reference characters, 1 represents a suitable base or support, which may have thereon a plurality of bells, one pair of such bells being designated by the numeral 2. These bells may be the ordinary extension call-bells of a telephone operated by a magneto-generator and a polarized ringer.

3 represents the hammer for the pair of bells, said hammer being carried by the stem 4, said stem being supported by the armature of a polarized ringer 40. The construction and mode of operation of this ringer being familiar to those skilled in the art and forming in its details no part of the invention.

in this case, specific description of the same is unnecessary. The stem extends through a slot or hole 5 in the base 1 between the bells 2. As this stem is operated by a polarized ringer, it will be retained near one end or the other of said slot or hole in the intervals between the operation of said ringer.

Below and centrally located with respect to the bells 2 is the indicator 6. This indicator consists of a base-plate 7, suitably secured to the support 1 by the screw 8, an upwardlyinclined portion 10, and a vertically-extending portion 11, the latter portion being parallel with but in a different vertical plane from the portion 9.

Pivoted to the portion 11 of the base-plate is the member 12, the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained. Pivoted to the lower end of the portion 9 of the base-plate is the shutter 13. This shutter is provided with a pair of ears or lugs 14, projecting i11- wardly-t'. e., toward the base or support 1- from the sides of said shutter at the lower end of the same. 15 designates a similar pair of cars or lugs projecting outwardly from the lower extremity of the portion 9 of the baseplate. By means of these lugs and a hinged pintle 16, extending through the same, the shutter 13 is pivoted to the base-plate, the pivotal connection being so. arranged that when in a vertical position the outer surface of the shutter is in the plane of the outer surface of the portion 11 of the base-plate. The member 12 is pivoted to the portion 11 of the base-plate, as by means of the stud or pin 17. Said member 12 is provided with an inwardly and upwardly extending portion 18 and a projection 19, having a slot 20 therein which receives the stem 4. The opposite end of the member 12 is provided with a pair of forks 21, each of said forks being beveled at 22 in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The ends of these forks are inclined from the outer edge toward the body of the device, and the inclined surfaces thus formed are beveled up wardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When the member 12 is placed in a vertical position,,

the rounded upper end of the shutter 13 may pass between the forks, and said member may drop to the position shownin dotted lines in Fi 2. In this position of the shutter the indicator will call the attention of the operator to the particular bell that has been rung, the lugs 14 engaging the base-plate and supporting theshutter in the position shown in dotted lines. This dropping of the shutter is facilitated by the fact that when the shutter is engaged by one of the forks of the member 12 it has by reason of the location of the pivot 16 a tendency to fall away from the baselate and needs only to be released in order to drop of its own accord. The length of the lu s 14 and 15 and the location of the pivot ar such that the rounded head of the screw 8 will engage the shutter and serve as a stop to prevent it from being overbalanced in.

wardly. To make more certain the dropping of the shutter, I bevel the upper edge of the same at 23, the inclination of such upper edge being about the same as the upward inclination of the beveled surfaces 22 of the forks 21. As the member 12 vibrates rapidly, the inner edges of the forks might bind against the upper edge of the shutter as the latter starts to drop. The beveling of the forks and of the upper edge of the shutter, however, insures that as soon as the outer edge of the shutter passes the inner edge of the forks 22 the latter will positively force the shutter outwardly and cause the same to drop. If desirable, a plate 24, having indicating characters thereon, may be secured to the portion 9 of the baseplate. When the shutter is folded up, this number will be bid den. When the shutter is dropped, the number will be exposed to view. In resetting the shutter after it has once fallen it will be necessary only to move the hammer to a position near the center of the slot or hole 5. This will permit the upper rounded end of the shutter to pass between the forks 22. The stem, being connected to the armature of the polarized ringer, will assume a position near one end or the other of the slot, and one of the forks 22 will be in position to prevent the shutter from falling.

It willbe apparent that changes may be made in the specific construction above described without departing from the spiritof my invention, and I do not propose to limit myself to the details of construction herein set forth except as such limitations may be included in the claims hereto annexed or may be rendered necessary by the prior state of the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In an annunciator, the combination of a pivoted shutter, a vibratory retaining and releasing device for said shutter comprising a pair of forks adapted in one position of said device to permit the passage therebetween of the adjacent portion of the shutter and in another position to engage such portion of the shutter, and means for vibrating said device, substantially as specified.

2. In an annunciator, the combination of a pivoted shutter, a vibratory releasing and retaining device for said shutters comprising a pair of forks adapted in one position of said device to permit the passage therebetween of the adjacent portion of the shutter and in another position to engage such portion of the shutter, each of said forks being inclined from the outer extremity thereof toward the body of the device and such inclined surface being beveled, and means for vibrating said device, substantially as specified.

3. In an annunciator, the combination of a pivoted shutter having a rounded portion providedwith a beveled edge, a vibratory retaining and releasing device for said shutter comprising a pair of forks positioned and adapted in one position of the device to permit the passage therebetween of the rounded portion of said shutter and in another position to engage such portion of the shutter, each of said forks being inclined from the outer extremity thereof toward the body of the device and such inclined surface being beveled, and means for vibrating such device, substantially as specified.

4. In combination with the hammer-stem of a polarized ringer, an indicator for use therewith comprising a base-plate, a shutter pivoted adjacent to said base-plate with a tendency to move away therefrom, a retaining and releasing device for said shutter, said device being pivoted and having at one end means engaging said stem and at the other end a pair of forks arranged to permit the passage of the shutter therebetween when the stem is vibrating and to retain said shutter when said stem is not vibrating, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of a bell, a hammer, a stem for said hammer, an indicating device for said bell, said device comprising a baseplate having a lower plane portion adapted engage the outer surface of said shutter when the stem is at rest and to disengage said surface when the stem is in an intermediate position, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 15 in the presence of two witnesses.

WALTER R. HORNING. Witnesses A. L. LORD, J. B. HULL. 

